The Rape of India’s Soul

India’s rapid descent into xenophobia, violence, and irrationality has an important economic dimension, but it takes politicians to channel these emotions into nationalism, and to embolden the nationalists to commit violence. Now that the ruling BJP has done so, is it able – or willing – to exorcise the many demons it has unleashed?

NEW DELHI – Injustice, discrimination, and violence are hardly unheard of in India. But today, they are being normalized, enabled, and even encouraged by the state, which is promoting an aggressive form of Hindu nationalism that looks increasingly like mob rule. India’s diversity and complex civilizational legacy are now under assault, and it is shaking the very foundations of Indian democracy.

In August, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government stripped Jammu and Kashmir – India’s only Muslim-majority territory – of its special status, which had granted it considerable autonomy, and split it into two “union territories” over which the central government now wields more direct control.

In order to stave off unrest, the government deployed thousands more troops to Jammu and Kashmir before announcing the changes. It then placed prominent local politicians, including former allies of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), under house arrest; enforced a curfew on residents; restricted movement into, out of, and within the state; and imposed media and telecoms blackouts.

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Jayati Ghosh is Professor of Economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, Executive Secretary of International Development Economics Associates, and a member of the Independent Commission for the Reform of International Corporate Taxation.

There are some who relish in painting a dismal picture of India all the time. They do not see the good things happening here and report a distorted view of all the activities of the present government which incidentally is by far the most honest, decisive and pro people government that India has had since independence. There are a whole lot of the so called Intellectuals who were having a free ride in India gustling public money with no apparent contribution to the country's growth, who are now questioned and made accountable. Obviously we will see many such articles.

This bill is more secular than any other, as per the law persecuted minorities in Pakistan/Bangladesh/Afganistan where state religion is Islam will be granted citizenship. This bill is constitutionally valid. Everything is fine in India, some vested interests are creating disturbance

The projects architect was Amit Shah, my God lady. It was ordered by the Supreme Court of India in 2014. Amit Shah merely used it as a political tool in his rallies. It was ordered, monitored and carried out by the Supreme Court of India.

Not an arbitrary date, it was after or around that date that a friendly government came into existence in Eastern Pakistan or Bangladesh as it known as today, and thereby it was expected that persecution of minorities would halt, and they had no reason to seek refuge in India any longer.

You blindly repeat the canard that Jammu & Kashmir is India's only Muslim-majority territory. Wrong! Lakshadweep, a Union Territory, is 96% Muslim, and it has been so peaceful that most people don't even know it exists. The difference is that Pakistan has no interest in it because it's too far away to send in terrorists. Stop blaming India for J&K, if you have any human decency or professional ethics. The entire mess is Pakistan's creation -- as the stunning peace in Lakshadweep proves.

As an American, my expertise is somewhat removed from India. However, I do know a bit about power plants. The Dabhol plant was a turkey. It was approved by Congress and rejected by the BJP. The reality is Congress had an awful record as a ruling party. The "Permit Raj" ruled India. The economy failed to take off. Yes, Congress faithfully represented the interests of the cosmopolitan elite. However, that is exactly the problem. The people of India were ignored.

I would just like to highlight a few points and request author's thoughts over it .What are your views on the forced conversions (I am not naming a specific religion or community but very much adding the fact that not done by HINDUS) amounts to rape of India's soul . What are your thoughts on Kashmiri Pandits , the way they were exiled and on Ladhak and its developments (pre conversion into UT) .

Good for India. Shah is right. The people who have been persecuted by Muslim law, because Muslim law does NOT grant religious freedom to anyone, nor citizenship to anyone other than Muslims, are the people that India is recognizing as the peoples that have been and continue to be persecuted. Certain political media outlets are supporting Muslim laws rather than recognizing the extreme intolerance of Muslim law, due to the fact that Muslim law totally does NOT include Hindus, Christians, Buddhists, Jews, etc. . Muslim law is Sharia law. Sharia law is not the law of India. Sharia law does NOT grant citizenship or any rights to anyone other than Muslims, in fact, if you are not an immediate family member of certain specific tribes, even if you are Muslim, you are considered nothing.

Muslim law does not give any legal rights to Women. Muslim law does not allow any rights of citizenship to anyone other than born-by-blood Muslims. Four women are considered the equivalent of one man. Does the whole world want to regress back to societies worse than the Dark Ages???

“Nobody is taking citizenship away from India’s Muslims. This is a bill to give citizenship, not take citizenship away,” Shah said. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-citizenship/indias-parliament-passes-citizenship-law-protests-flare-idUSKBN1YF0QI?il=0

India has enough internal citizenship battleground to focus legal action. India is right to establish the boundary of who is really persecuting who outside of India's boundaries, then India can focus on internal battle-zones, and definitions of law, especially of rights of the female.

Muslims can start to establish an equitable legal system within Muslim territories first.

The author did not claim that Shariah and Muslim law were superior. Nor did she bring in Shariah law into this debate. Yes, Shariah law as practised in a few Muslim countries is one of the worst and most abhorrent legal systems on the planet. And its implementation leads to terrible outcomes, especially for women and non-Muslims. But the focus of this debate is India's descent into fascism, one-man rule and discrimination of non-upper caste Hindus.

But that begs the question: Should India, which has been a Constitutional democracy with rule of law until the semi-fascist RSS anointed its apparatchik to power, create a Hindu version of Shariah? Modi and his illiberal ilk, roundly supported by India's middle classes, many of who are Hitler worshipping closet Nazis are going to go push the boundaries even more. I would not be surprised if the next target happens to be Christians, another group that has been involved in evangelisation and conversions of Hindus. Indeed, if you go to any airport book stall in India or talk to Indians, even the academics that I happen to meet, you will find Hitler's Mein Kampf being prominently displayed. And as a European, I was stunned to see highly educated academics extolling Hitler and the need for an "Iron Man" in India. The Economist (Oct 26-1st Nov 2019) reports that Indians are the people who most want to do away with democracy and have "army rule".

I am afraid that India has squandered the vast soft power that it has built over the decades and the legacy of tall men like Mahatma Gandhi and Nehru. Instead, you have a semi-literate man with clear facsist tendencies, nurtured in a fascist organisation called the RSS and imposing a version and vision of governance that is not very different from what Adolf Hitler was deploying in the Germany of the 1930s. Jews were the targets of Hitler, Muslims, Christians and lower caste Hindus are the targets of Modi.

The RSS was created 2 years after the Congress Seva Dal and in imitation of it. It was the 'weak sister' of the CSD which was banned by the Brits because it modelled itself on the Black Shirts. Gandhi met Mussolini and was greatly enthused by him as was Tagore. In 1938, Govind Vallabh Pant, Premier of UP, said 'Italy has Il Duce, Germany has the Fuehrer, we are equally united under the Mahatma'. Incidentally Bose dressed in a Mussolini type military uniform when he presided over Congress. Later, with the help of the Indian Nazi Party, he went to cozy up with Hitler.

Indira Gandhi was a Fascist leader. President Zail Singh- as Home Minister- praised Hitler in Parliament. This was expunged. Later Zail Singh was not able to protect a single Sikh in Delhi from the Congress thugs. I know, I was there.

Under Indira, policemen could safely rape and torture women after killing their husbands. Even Indira's closest female friends were horrified by her reaction, or lack thereof, to the terrible Maya Tyagi case. One reason 'intermediate castes' like the Tyagis deserted the dynasty is because of the brutal attitude it showed to women.

Of course not! I am a Vadadesi Vadama Iyer. In Tamil Nadu, we may have had rivalry with Brhatcharanam Smartas. Otherwise, we were well liked and employed honorably by all.

After Independence, we always ally with Ashraf Muslims at the Center and with Mahars or Jatavs in 'intermediate class' relationships. Why? We are dark skinned- but tall and good as soldiers and administrators etc. However, we have not understood and accepted that our Guru- Sri Adi Sankara- integrated us to the North. So we pretend not to know Hindi- though we know Sanskrit, or claim to! By the Grace of God, now North Indian Hindus come to T.N to earn money in reverse of the manner in which we had to do so previously. But they come already demanding dosa and idli!

Assimilation of South and North has already taken place! I remember my gran renting to North Indians and assuming they would somehow or other cook non-Veg. But North Indians recovered their pride. My gran sold to Jain people. Sad truth is the present generation of her descendants winks at non-veg!

Meanwhile, to be frank, I don't make idli but just use dhokhla mix. Tambrams are now going towards 'Jain diet' even if not Iyengars.

RSS is an anti caste organization. People like me and you don't get special treatment. It is like the army. That is why Anglophone (or pseudo Socialist) Iyers wanted to keep those khaki knicker wearers at a distance!

I can't be BJP because I am either Tamil or from Delhi. What about you?

In Tamil Nadu, we pretend to be Communists to avoid being humiliated. In 1967 I was ready to eat raw beef to show my womenfolk were not 'Aryans'.

Shariah law is unfortunately not just practiced in a few Muslim countries. That is ultimately what this whole debate will be about. (Believe it or not, that is my prediction. This article only touches one iota of the full secular law scenario.)

I am mentioning what no one wants to mention at everyone's peril.

The debate is really about secular law, social contract, and equal rights for men and women. Ignoring the real conflict for international legal systems only kicks the proverbial can up in the air, for everyone to dodge, as it continues to throw shards of metal in free fall all over the earth.

There are international laws, declarations from all of the international institutions, but none of the good intentions are acknowledged in day-to-day practice where it really counts. The words are meaningless if they only remain on paper.

Right now, hopefully, the guys in power will receive enough push-back to not swing the pendulum too far off course, while maintaining the present decisions to maintain what freedom of religion, and limited rights do presently exist under the secular laws of India.

That level of law, legal definition, and framework cannot be lost.

Then everyone has to continue as they can work to the next step, how tiny it may be to a forward step for millions, and billions of people, that are NOT in tune with one another.

You definitely address the real serious negative implications. I hope that there can be some effort to retain what India already has to support secular legal system. It is extremely difficult to maintain order with such extreme polarities that are presently creating general chaos amongst so many different groups. There needs to be some basic boundaries drawn. I think that the biggest issue, of course, I admit my bias, is the drastic loss of any rights for anyone if the polarity swings to Sharia law. With the racial and religious issues that are confronting any political leadership, a loss of what exists would bring the nation to the level of total dysfunction. I do think the only way to establish any basic freedoms for the citizens is this drawing of the lines based on an approach that supports that does support the citizenship rights, and religious tolerance that presently exists. If these tolerance minimums are sacrificed, I would expect a total loss of rights for women, and total loss of any religious rights for Hindus, Christians and Buddhists. It seems to be a total cataclysmic shock back to a resurgence of war similar to the conflicts of the Ottoman Empire. There is so much unrest due to the unsettled issues within the Middle Eastern Muslim States. Then there are the unresolved conflicts between all the Muslim States and Israel. Then there are the unresolved conflicts between Israelis, Zionists, and all other groups, political, and religious. It just seems to be such an ongoing conflict of conflict, upon conflict upon conflict that the most basic rights for any kind of citizen, so even the most basic male and female rights become lost in the shuffle. If there is no bottomline starting point, then the houses of all the different cards just keep blowing in the wind, as whatever change in temperature ignites the tempers of the latest usurpation of power. I think it is just so absurd, but in the process so many innocent people's lives are jeopardized over what is essentially worthless fiat currencies, and totally hypocritical messages that are supporting and promoting the God awful global dilemma. We are all caught up in the tornado that is gathering impetus and force, and has not even begun to touch down yet.

I sure hope and pray that the Indian Leadership do not establish an intolerant state. Historically Hindus are more tolerant than Muslims. I do realize that is a very relative statement, and reality. However, to me, as an outsider, as a female, and Christian I know I can walk at least into a Hindu Temple. Muslims do not even begin to allow me that minimal courtesy, right, or privilege.

Whilst I do agree with your statement "Historically Hindus are more tolerant than Muslims", you do tend to forget that human identity is multi-layered and religion is but one such expression of an identity. Race, language, skin colour, cuisine, caste and a host of other characteristics also define a person's identity or how is perceived by people around him.

Thus, Christianity, Islam and Hinduism discriminate on the basis of skin colour. Catholics and Protestants slug it out in Ireland; Shia and Sunni in the Muslim world; Buddhists vs Hindus and Buddhists vs Muslims in Sri Lanka, Buddhists vs Rohingya Muslims in Burma and so on. In India, many conflicts take place along language lines too. Thus, in the 70s, Maharashtra was influenced by another Hitler worshipping demagogue called Bal Thackeray who fought against South Indians dubbing them as the "kaala Madrasi" or Black Madrasis - Madrasi being a catch-all term for the dark skinned south Indians who had gone to Bombay for work. Soon, Mr Thackeray turned upon people from Bihar, then North Indians and then Muslims. Hinduism, a tolerant religion did not stop Hindu fighting Hindu.

You had similar forces at work in Yugoslavia and that nation imploded.

My point being that when demagogues like Modi, Milosevic, Bal Thackeray, Ian Paisley, Trump, Hitler, Mussolini etc. can captivate the masses, religion goes out of the window. And the propensity to hate and dispaly bestaility is roughly the same in all religions and peoples. Sad, but true.

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India's senior politicians, many of whom witnessed the enactment of the Republic's carefully chosen wording of its Constitution, have been long raising red flags about the rise of Nazi-style fascism under the BJP's flag, under its four principal leaders. One seriously doubts if 'the euphoric four' realise the consequences of the fires they have stoked with their actions in the cases Kashmir, Ayodhya, the Citizens Bill and their brutal suppression of India's traditionally independent press and the judiciary.In a matter of nine months, they have changed India's number one security crisis from 'Terrorism' to 'Communal Violence'.Hektor

The author says,”. Now that the BJP has done so, is it able – or willing – to exorcise the many demons it has unleashed?...”. Perhaps only one the hell freezes.

What Prof. Ghosh has written about this new barbarism perpetrated by the mobs and literally encouraged by the ruling party (aka- BJP) in New Delhi is alll true but it describes only one tenth in its extent. Forget outsiders ! Most people even in India simply don’t know that the ruling party BJP is the political wing of its ideological parent party RSS [ Rashtriya Swayam Sevak party = National volunteer party] that was born in 1925 copying methods of Mussolini’s Facist party and it has absorbed and retained so many gangster methods. There in Germany and in Europe, the victims were Jewish , whereas in India they are now Muslims. The Indian Prime minister Modi has blood on his hands , for during his rule in his days as provincial Govt. leader, Hindu-Muslim pogrom, nearly 2000 Muslim citizens were killed, burnt alive and raped. Nothing was done. One of the greatest son of India in the twentieth century was Mahatma Gandhi - apostle of non-violence was assasinated by a member of RSS party. His ghost is being brought back by the ruling party as the saviour of Indian Hinduness.The list is long. What a tragedy that has befallen India birth place of Gandhi and many other religions.

Cont’d... I forgot to add that the Home minister Amit Shah himself is wanted by the police for crimes of murder, and assault. So also nearly forty percent of BJP Members of parliament are wanted by the police not for petty crimes ie jay walking or stealing, but for murder, kidnapping and rape etc. But police can not act and helpless.This th e story of most populous ‘democracy’ of our planet.

You forgot to add that the charges against Amit Shah are bogus. On the other hand, every party has plenty of bona fide criminals. The difference is that those with a RSS background are known to be honest. That is why the BJP is considered the best of a bad bunch.

Shah gained popularity thanks to the Dynasty's attempt to implicate him in an encounter killing. However extra judicial killing reached its height in the Nineties. The film 'Raees' starring Shah Rukh Khan depicts a notorious case. Reality in this case, far exceeds what Khan could safely show. I may mention he is from a political, Delhi, family and went to my old school. He has no illusions about what was happening because he joined the Mumbai film industry when the gangster/terrorist network was at its height.Since Shah's background is known, nobody thinks of him as a thug. What he deserves credit for is making Gujarat and Ahmedabad in particular safe for women and girls even at eleven o'clock at night. Thus when the infamous 'Nirbhaya' rape arocity occurred in Delhi, and Chief Minister Sheila Dixit she could not protect her own daughter in Delhi, the TV audience- i.e. almost everyone- could see that Modi's Gujarat was safe because girls were going around late at night with perfect safety whereas Delhi returned to the law of the jungle after Dark. This factor was a big reason Modi won and the Dynasty and its Leftist apologists were crushed. Vide https://socioproctology.blogspot.com/2019/12/jayati-ghosh-raping-indias-soul.html

Mr Vivek Iyer: I think my comment above was devoid of any references to previous regimes in India. However, you posit a number of personal opinions that you masquerade as axioms and skirt the main thrust of my post.

In any case, I do note that the sole yardstick by which you judge Shah is "how safe it is for middle class women to roam around at 11 pm night". Care to clarify whetehr middle-class women in Gujarat venture out at night knowing fully well that lex Shah is in effect and they are safe? Doubt it Sir. Fact is, women are not safe in any part of India and Gujarat was and is no exception to that rule.

I think you ought to come up with a different strategy when rebutting arguments here: X is bad but Y is also bad so please stop the discussion. That does not cut any ice Mr Iyer.

I alos checked out the webpage you refer to. Worthless hot air is the most flattering thing I can say about it.

"Modi's Gujarat was safe because girls were going around late at night with perfect safety whereas Delhi"

Did that apply to Kausar Bano in 2002, the young lady who was 9 months pregnant when set upon by a ´Hindu mob, raped, had her foetus torn out and then burnt ? Or for that matter the many Muslim women who were raped, killed and brutalised by your Bajrang Dal friends Mr Vivek Iyer?

I'm sorry I did not see your comment. To respond, the lady was from Karnataka. By my name it is obvious that I am South Indian. Thus, if I had been there and not died in defense of pregnant lady of my own race, my womenfolk would not have given me food- i.e. I would lose caste.

I have no 'Bajrang Dal' friends. But, of course, I revere Lord Hanuman. Interestingly, Muslim wrestlers who are 'paak namazi' do so as well in Bihar and other places. I used to suffer from some back problem and while on pilgrimage in a relatively backward place got some help from the local people who had robust constitution. It may interest you to know that even famous wrestlers like 'Gama' from what is now Pakistan trained in akkras flying the Bajrang dhvaj- as Arjun does in Mahabharata.

Let me be clear. In Modi's Gujerat, the cycle of politically instrumentalized communal riots ended. It is a fact that at the time of the 'Nirbhaya' atrocity people watching NDTV could see video footage of Hindu and Muslim girls driving scooter and meeting friends for meals or Cinema visit even at 10 o'clock at night! This is one big reason Sheila Dixit- who said she could not even protect her own daughter in Delhi- lost.

On the other hand, I would agree with you that Iyengar females are ripping open the bellies of fat Iyer males like myself. They are mercilessly snatching out the fetus which is quietly reading Chomsky. They slit open the womb of that fetus to snatch forth an even smaller fetus which is just quietly reading Arundhati Roy. The same atrocity recurs incessantly till a very small fetus is snatched forth which is reading your comment. It is denied tenure at a Liberal Arts College due to your anti Semitism. How dare you omit mention of the six million Jews massacred by Modi? Shame on you!

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